16 Facilities6 Onsen towns
Next to Fuji-Q Highland, with one of Japan's largest all-timber bath halls. Price includes loungewear and towels, so come empty-handed. Free shuttle from Fujisan Station. Prices revised April 2026.
On a mountainside above the Kofu basin, a spectacular open-air bath with Mt. Fuji and the city lights in view. It opens 'one hour before sunrise', so people arrive in the dark to watch dawn break over Fuji from the water. Of the two bathhouses, 'Acchi-no-yu' is the larger with the better view. ¥900. The deep-fried hot-spring egg from the food stall is a must. Ten minutes by taxi from Yamanashi-shi Station; a feasible day trip from Tokyo.
Three minutes by car from Yamanakako IC, a day spa with Mt. Fuji rising straight ahead of the open-air bath. Highly alkaline (pH 10.3) yet gentle on the skin. Two open-air baths—stone and cypress—plus a lie-down bath, jets and sauna for ¥900. On winter weekends (Dec–Feb) it opens at dawn so you can watch the peak blush red at sunrise, the 'benifuji' of its name. 30 minutes from Fujisan Station on the Fujikko-gō loop bus.
The leading large ryokan of Shimobe Onsen in Yamanashi, the 'hidden bath' of warlord Takeda Shingen. Its hallmark is three springs of differing character (including the tepid original Shimobe water) served in eleven tubs, seven of them open-air — a mini bath-hopping circuit with streamside rotenburo and Shingen lore. Day use 11:00–15:00, ¥1,200; resting in the tatami hall is free, and lunch-and-rest plans start at ¥5,000. Irregular closures, so confirm ahead. Just 3 minutes on foot from Shimobe-Onsen Station on the JR Minobu Line — easy by rail, and a natural pairing with Kuonji temple on Mt Minobu, the Fuji River or a Lake Motosu / Fuji Five Lakes drive.
A day-use bathhouse among the vineyards and peach orchards of Makioka in Yamanashi city, cherished by onsen fans as one of the prefecture's finest 'fresh from the source' springs. About 500 litres a minute of 42°C alkaline simple water wells up naturally and goes straight into the tubs — no heating, no dilution, no recirculation — so fresh water overflows constantly at the spout. The feel is silky; from the cypress indoor bath and the rock open-air bath you can sometimes see Mt Fuji across the Kōfu basin. Adults ¥700 for up to two hours, children ¥500 (four hours with tatami-hall rest ¥1,300; all day ¥1,800); open 10:00–21:00 (last entry 20:15), closed Tuesdays and the New Year period. A restaurant serves hōtō noodles and tempura, and Erin-ji temple and the local wineries are close. About 25 minutes by car from Katsunuma IC or 15 minutes by taxi from JR Yamanashi-shi Station.
A town-run day spa on a 370 m hill in Ichikawamisato, south of the Kōfu basin. From the unobstructed open-air bath you take in the whole basin with Yatsugatake, Mt Kayagatake and the Southern Alps beyond, and after dark the carpet of city lights is certified as a 'Japan Night View Heritage' site. The water is a translucent tea-brown alkaline simple spring containing organic matter from ancient plants, smooth on the skin. Indoor bath, open-air bath, lie-down bath and sauna; adults ¥850, children ¥500; open late, 10:00–23:00 (last entry 22:30), so you can watch dusk turn to night from the tub. Closed only for maintenance days. The restaurant's hōtō noodles, chicken giblet stew and Kōshū wine-beef set, and the farm produce shop, are popular. About 10 minutes by car from Kōfu-minami IC or 7 minutes from JR Kai-Ueno Station. In summer you may even catch the Ichikawamisato fireworks from the open-air bath.
A lone day-bath building among the fields on the outskirts of Nirasaki, north-west of the Kōfu basin, and a nationally known pilgrimage spot for onsen lovers. Nothing is added or altered – no dilution, heating, recirculation or chlorine – and as you settle into the tepid 38°C sodium chloride-bicarbonate spring, your whole body is coated in fine bubbles, said to be among the most abundant in Japan. The faintly greenish-yellow water carries a whisper of sulfur and iron, and the source running from a tap in the bathroom can be drunk (fizzy, iron-tinged). There is no open-air bath or sauna – just one big indoor pool and washing stations, like a sentō – but the windows frame the Yatsugatake and Kayagatake peaks, and the mild water makes an hour disappear. Adults pay ¥750 from outside the city (¥650 for residents) and children ¥500/¥400, rates revised on 15 April 2026 and cash only; soap and shampoo provided. Open 10:00–20:00, closed Tuesdays (next day if a holiday) and Fridays, with free parking for 25 cars. About 10 minutes by taxi from Nirasaki Station on the JR Chūō Line or 15 minutes from Nirasaki IC on the Chūō Expressway.
A source-spring inn of Shimobe Onsen, the spa said to have healed the wounds of Takeda Shingen. The spa street runs along a river, and the water is an alkaline simple spring known for leaving the skin smooth. Day bathing is 1,000 yen between 10:00 and 16:00 for a stay of up to two hours, and a longer visit with a rest room is 2,000 yen. It keeps the plain feel of a curative spa, which makes it a good place to settle in and rest.
A rest facility run by the town of Shimobe Onsen, easy for day visitors as well as overnight guests. The single-bath course costs 500 yen from junior high age and 400 yen for elementary pupils, and is free below elementary school. It opens from 10:00 to 17:30 with last entry at 17:00, closing only from 29 December to 2 January. The full-day course is 1,000 yen for adults, and you may bring your own food and drink.
A small inn of Shimobe Onsen, where the tradition of long healing stays continues, and a bath alone can be taken in the daytime without staying overnight. Day bathing is received from 9:00 to 16:00 for 800 yen, with use limited to about an hour. A course including a rest room runs 2,775 to 3,300 yen. As with the other inns of the spa street, bathing is not accepted on some days, so a phone call ahead is advised.
A healing-stay inn opened in 1937 that keeps its source running straight through. A cool spring of around 26 degrees is its hallmark, so you can stay in the water a long while, and alternating with the heated hot bath is recommended. Day bathing runs from 9:00 in the morning to 8:00 at night, at 800 yen for adults and 400 yen for children within two hours. In April 2024 a löyly-style sauna was added on each side.
A day-bath house of 1856 still standing on the edge of Fujiyoshida. A two-storey timber building and a thatched main hall remain, and the bath room shows its beams under a high ceiling, with a black-granite tub set in steps. The water is a soft simple spring of the Mt Fuji foothills, a cold mineral spring; there is no open-air bath, but a small courtyard garden can be watched from the water. Two hours costs 750 yen for adults, a full day from 9:00 to 17:00 is 1,500 yen, and the evening hours after 17:00 are 1,000 yen. There is a large hall for resting, where the local Yoshida udon is served. It closes on Wednesdays, though it does open on some days depending on the season.
An old inn in Shimobe Onsen where the healing-stay culture survives, taking not only overnight guests but bathers by the hour, true to a toji resort. Day bathing is 500 yen from 10:00 to 16:00, the cheapest in the spa street, while a course with rest costs 2,000 yen. It is not received on some days, so a call ahead is needed. The water is a mild alkaline simple spring suited to long healing stays.
An inn inside the Shimobe spa street, receiving day bathers from 3:00 to 6:00 in the afternoon. The charge is 1,000 yen, with a shorter course at 500 yen. It is not received on some days, so checking ahead is needed. The water is a mild alkaline simple spring.
A village-run day-bathing facility in Hirano, Yamanakako, Yamanashi. A wooden dome building houses a highly alkaline simple spring of pH 10.2, with a grand bath, rock and cypress open-air baths, a sauna, and a free-flowing source tub. The lukewarm cypress bath is popular for long soaks.
A city-run day-trip onsen facility next to Michi-no-Eki Nirasaki along Route 141 in Nakada-machi, Nirasaki. The spring - 44.5°C at the source, pH 8.3, a sodium bicarbonate-chloride spring (hypotonic, weakly alkaline, high-temperature) - is clear with a faint sulfur scent and a silky, thick feel. The bright stone-built large bath has pressure jets, bubble baths and a lying bath, joined by an open-air bath, two saunas (dry and mist, switching sides weekly) and a cold bath. Best of all, the admission fee also covers the heated pool with a 45-metre lazy river, jacuzzi and children's pool. Its glass dome is a landmark; there is a free grand lounge plus paid private rooms. About 8 minutes by car from the Nirasaki IC on the Chuo Expressway, with free parking for 70 cars.